2024-07-24 01:07:00
Spain won the European Championship. The players then celebrated their triumph exuberantly – but for two of them, this had consequences.
The exuberant victory party of the Spanish European champions has repercussions for two professionals. Because of the incidents at the celebrations in Madrid, the European Football Union has launched an investigation against Rodri and captain Álvaro Morata under Article 55 of its regulations. The Ethics and Disciplinary Committee will decide on the matter in due course, UEFA announced on Tuesday.
The two stars are accused of violating the basic rules of decent behavior. In addition, Rodri and Morata are said to have abused the event to make non-sporting statements and to have denigrated football and UEFA in particular.
There was criticism after the presentation of the European Championship trophy in the Spanish capital on July 15. The Gibraltar Football Association criticised the “extremely provocative and offensive nature of the celebrations surrounding the win of the European Championship”.
The issue was “unacceptable chants referring to Gibraltar and sung by players of the Spanish national team. Football has no place for such behaviour,” the association said in a statement.
Midfield star Rodri sang “Gibraltar is Spanish” several times during the celebrations after the 2-1 victory in the final against England. Some of his teammates and the fans joined in. The Gibraltar peninsula, which lies on the south coast of Spain, has been a British overseas territory since the 18th century, making the statement explosive.
Morata had also made fun of Germany’s young star Jamal Musiala on stage. When introducing Dani Carvajal, who was shown a yellow-red card after a foul on Musiala in the quarter-finals, the captain of the “Furia Roja” shouted: “Where is Musiala? Where is he?”